BUSINESS Q&A: Farm offers things beyond Christmas trees

Farm offers things beyond Christmas trees

Justin Zamudio/Standard-Times
Samuel Ganong, a kindergartner at Holiman Elementary School, inspects the inside of jingle bells just before singing "Jingle Bells" on a hayride through the Concho Christmas Tree Farm last week.

Justin Zamudio/San Angelo Standard-Times
Jennah Hamilton, kindergarten teacher at Holiman Elementary School, hoists Brooke Haggerton, one of her students, to place a star at the top of a tree the class was decorating as part of a field trip tour of the Concho Christmas Tree Farm last week. The farm frequently hosts tours during the holiday season.

It doesn't have to be November or December for Shawn and Jodie Uptergrove and their two children to feel the Christmas spirit: Close to 2,000 fragrant, evergreen pine trees — easily one of the season's most ubiquitous holiday symbols — dot the family's Christoval property all year long.

Two years ago, the Uptergroves took over Christoval's Christmas tree farm when its previous owners decided to sell. Despite having recently built a house in Christoval, the Uptergroves moved to the Christmas tree farm.

"The whole reason to move was to keep the property operating and keep it open for families and also for my own kids to have this experience here," Shawn Uptergrove said.

Between 1,500 to 2,000 Afghan pines in a variety of sizes grow year-round on the property, at 22310 Toenail Trail, but the Uptergroves also bring in Fraser firs from North Carolina; customers who visit the farm can purchase either tree.

This time of year, visitors also can find gift items at the farm's gift shop — everything from ornaments and other handmade items to custom coffees and spiced cider to the ever-popular fresh wreaths made from the Fraser firs.

"We have a lot of repeat business, customers who order (the wreaths) from us every year," Uptergrove said. "We have a floral sealant that they're dipped in, and it keeps the moisture from leaving the plant tissue. It preserves them" well past the holiday season.

During the week, the Uptergroves also conduct tours of the farm.

"It's tailored toward elementary students, but we do (tours for) high school students and 4-H groups too," Uptergrove said. "We do a hayride as part of it … and the scarecrow (dressing) and decorating the Christmas tree, and we talk about the tree livestock, how many (trees) are planted, how long they live and how long it takes them to grow."

On the weekends, hayrides are part of the farm's daily activities, Uptergrove said.

"It's free to help people enjoy the farm," he said. "We want this to be a relaxing place for people to come. It's not just about getting a tree — it's about the whole experience. We have people who sit at our picnic tables and relax for a while and let their kids run around for a bit and drink some hot spiced cider. We want it to be a fun place, a place families can build a tradition, just like when you get that box of ornaments down" to decorate the tree each year.

Standard-Times: You said the farm sells about 200 trees a year?

Uptergrove: That's out of the field. We have families that cut those for Christmas trees. But in addition, this year I'm thinking we'll sell 250 to 300 trees we bring in.

What's the difference between the Afghan pine and the Fraser fir?

Afghan pines are the only pine tree you can grow in West Texas; you have to grow what grows well in your area. They have more of an open look to them, a longer needle. The firs are very thick, very short needles, soft to the touch and very fragrant. There's a family farm (in North Carolina) I deal with, and I have them brought in on a refrigerated truck, and as soon as they get in, we make a fresh cut on the ends that allows the tree to start absorbing water again through the trunk and keeps them green and healthy through the season. Putting them in shade and water are key to that.

Did you have any prior experience growing trees before you purchased the farm?

I come from a farming and ranching background but definitely not growing Christmas trees. The agriculture background I have helps with the operation of the farm.

What kind of work goes into growing the trees, and how long does it take before they're mature?

We plant roughly 200 seedlings every year, and that's to make up for the 150 to 200 that are cut down for Christmas trees that families come out and harvest. We plant those trees in the spring or right after we close down after our Christmas season. It'll take roughly six years to get it up to a 6- or 7-foot tree, which is (how tall) most people like their trees. Since it does take such a long time to get the tree up to such a size, you have to have several different age levels coming up; that way every year you have a group ready to cut down. That's why it' so important to plant every year. It's not like a cotton farmer who plants a crop and can harvest it that year.

What care do the trees require?

The Afghan is a desert pine tree; they're very well adapted to our conditions in West Texas, but like anything young and growing, it does take special care when you first plant the seedling. They don't have a good root system. They don't have the ability to fight off things like a mature tree. So the little trees we try to water about three times a week, and they can survive on as little as three gallons a week, even during the summer. We (water them) through a drip irrigation system, so it's very efficient. It's all calibrated, so if I turn on my system for an hour on a certain group of trees, I know they're each getting 1 gallon of water because each emitter leaks out a gallon per hour.

What goals do you have for the farm?

We would like to continue to grow the farm. We'd like to have more special events. This year we had a Charlie Brown Christmas where we showed a movie on an outdoor screen. We're doing a Santa and S'mores this year, Dec. 15, and there are a limited number of tickets for that. The Santa and S'mores is a setting where (children) … can sit down and do crafts, spend time with Santa — not just sit on his lap and take photographs, but interact with him more.

How do you make a living during the offseason?

We also have a bed-and-breakfast from Feb. 1 to Sept. 30. We started doing that full time this last year. We may even add more cabins or cottages as we go. We have so many weddings (in Christoval) … and families like to stay somewhere close. We have a lot of people from Midland and different towns who just need to get away. We have such a quiet, relaxing atmosphere. Lucky for us, we're one of the places they chose to stay.